Soushitsu
by candycoatedkayla
Summary: No one ever said forfeiting was fair.[Sequel for To Forfeit]oneshot


A/N: Ok, some scenes take place at different points in the story, so it might be a little confusing. Its basically still based in Rock Country and Konoha so don't expect much change there, folks. This covers some things not put into: _To Forfeit._

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Naruto.

**Warning**: If you wish read :To Forfeit or you may be lost. There are alot of different sections, just a heads up people.

_Italics_-thoughts, memories

* * *

_Soushitsu:(n, vs) die out;disappear ;vanish: Can mean forfeit in Japanese_

* * *

Small trails of perspiration gleamed in the sunset of the sky, a few damp pink strands of hair plastered to a pale face. Two viridian eyes hardened in there shaky resolve, before darkening to a more intense color. The air was cold even in the purple dusk; which expanded across the endless stretch of rocky land.

Nimble fingers extracted a chakra filled arrow before positioning it. The coldness in the air was steadily becoming worse as the sky became a darker shade of violet. Quiet intakes of breath, suddenly became sharper as the horrid scene unfolded. The kunoichi closed her eyes before tightening her hold on the wooden bow.

"Sakura, can you hear me?" A deep voice reverberated through the tiny microphone in her ear. Another distinct gasp for breath as the kunoichi keeled over in sudden shock.

"Sakura!"

Two gloved hands gripped the grovel on the ground, as they tried to find some sort of support. The arrow dropped with a dull thud along with the chakra filled bow onto the split ground.

"Answer me!" The voice on the other end started to sound desperate. There was a hidden message in it that made the normally stoic voice, sound pathetic in its attempt to get a response. Sakura, suddenly snapping to life, gripped the gravel harder until it became nothing but dust.

"Sasuke……" Her voice was nothing more than a croak.

The male on the other end seemed to notice the rapt changes in her behavior, because his voice rose several octaves. "Tell me where you are." It was more like a command than anything.

The fear inside her gut intensified. "I-I…help." Her voice trailed off as she stared mortified at the dark crimson streams, which soaked into the dark earth. There was a loud curse on the other end of the speaker followed by a shuffling noise.

"Where are you?" His voice was incisive, she could practically feel the worry dripping from it. Of course this was one of those rare moments when he actually allowed himself to _feel. _As far as she knew an open display of worry, or affection for that matter, was out of the question.

She couldn't even move her head, to survey her surroundings. The only thing she had control over, was her arms which would only move half an inch before painfully locking themselves in place. A pulsing fear shifted through her veins, effectively paralyzing her body. "I…don't know."

Another curse rang in her ear, not that she could comprehend it anyway. Her mind was only focused on one thing:_ fear_.

"I'm coming to get you," The way he said it made her throat lock in place, with unspoken gratitude. "I'm going to tap into your chakra, so just stay there!"

The line went dead.

Never had Sakura thought that his detached voice, could be so soothing. Now that she had lost contact with the only thing keeping her mind stable, the pain in her body lit up. Her breath started to catch in her throat, as her stomach gave an awkward lurch. Her heart rate accelerated to an unnatural pace as her pale eyes became a much darker green.

_So much blood._

In some dark, unknown, crevice of her mind she knew it wasn't real. But that certainly didn't help the fact that she was experiencing it. Screams of torture filled her ears as scenes of carnage danced before her eyes. She clutched her head, her knees digging into shards of stone. In her mind she found herself falling, into an abyss of obscurity. She mentally screamed for the pain to end, her throat tightening with dread.

Footsteps.

She heard them, tapping against the rough ground, the sound almost fleeting. It was as if the body ahead was gliding. An ominous laugh reached her ears, as the screaming inside her head became more than excruciating.

"Little kunoichi, you have been locked inside my genjutsu the moment you set foot in my territory."

She lifted her head up, her eyes hollow with terror. She struggled for her voice which had abandoned her some time ago, and deftly wished for the Uchiha to hurry up. He snapped his fingers and her world of pain vanished. "I can see inside your head, and for such a fragile looking _thing, _your pretty screwed up." The beast raised it's arm with a rich swinging motion. His clothed hand made a loud smacking sound against her flushed cheek.

The broken little girl she had once been, threw her arms out to put up a weak defense, while the strong kunoichi in her roared with a passion.

Her boot clad feet swung out, with a quick swiping motion, sending the beast tumbling back in an inelegant fashion. "Filthy wench!" He screamed wildly, while the pink haired girl gasped for breath. That swift kick alone, had sent her body into a spasm of pain.

The tenketsu he had placed on her, had yet to subside. From the symptoms her body was showing, his tenketsu, went well past the standards of being _forbidden_. Had she not been a qualified medic, she would have been dead in ten seconds flat, or mentally scarred.

He lunged at her, sending both of them falling backwards onto the hard land. The rose haired female summoned chakra to her fist, before slamming it into his throat.

She narrowed her glimmering eyes. She was a shinobi, a _kunoichi_ for that matter, of Konoha, and she would fight until death. The very thought of moving made her spine tingle unpleasantly, but she blinked back her tears.

Her gloved hand picked up her fallen bow before positioning it. She tilted the weapon with her index finger, while letting her mind only concentrate on her target. "Come," She cocked the arrow. "Get me."

* * *

_Long flaxen locks were pinned high, with elaborate black ribbons twisted stylishly into place, so unlike the usual low ponytails. Black robes of silk were wrapped tightly around a slim body, where a simple crimson and black kimono was visible._

"_Sit now."_

_Two bandaged legs sat obediently. _

"_I've already spoken to Kakashi, Sasuke, and the brat." Despite the thick tension in the room, she couldn't help but try to ease the younger girl's anxiety._

"_Then all do respect Tsunade-sama, why do you wish to speak to me?"_

_The woman in front of her smiled knowingly, before lifting the glass of sake to her lips. "I wanted," She took a long drink. "To ask you something." Her tan eyes bore into her apprentice._

_Sakura took the time to look around the room. Her sensei had requested she meet her at one of the more formal rooms in the Tower, and from the looks of it, the room she was sitting in was meant for tea ceremonies. It wasn't cluttered with books and empty scrolls, but bare with only fawn tatami mats and huge Fire Country emblems which served as the only décor._

_Sakura picked up the cup of tea offered to her, before taking a sip. She folded her legs, as the feeling of unease left her. The older woman took another swig._

"_Are you happy?" Her tan eyes glowed with supremacy. "I mean with the Uchiha."_

_Sakura choked slightly on her tea, her eyes lowering. She calmed herself before answering. It would do her no good to lose her cool façade at a moment like this. "I don't know what you're talking about."_

"_For all the years I've known you, you've never come across as stupid to me. So don't start now." The blonde's voice never changed. "I know you and the Uchiha are engaged to be married, I saw you with the ring when you were training."_

_Sakura sighed before looking out through the curtains, as the evening light spilled through the white fabric. "He proposed last month, and its been hell trying to keep it a secret. But I'm happy."_

"_Are you sure?"_

"_Yes, I don't know if he loves me…..but I-I'm happy!" She insisted loudly._

"_Then why does it feel like your trying to convince yourself, and not me?"_

_The pink haired girl set her cup down gently, her gaze never straying from the illuminated curtains. "You know, he has a hard time opening up and I want to be there for him, always." The way she said it, let the older woman know that she wished to change the subject._

"_Well then, the real reason I called you here was to discuss the mission. It has no rank. The council and I have come to the conclusion that we know nothing of these missing nin, therefore I can not label a correct ranking."_

_The younger woman finally locked gazes with powerful russet. Her own emerald eyes shined in the evening rays, as she finally understood._

"_But know this, whatever you see out there, may be your last." She gripped her sake glass tighter. "That is the real reason why I asked you were you happy. Live life with no regrets because you may have only twenty-four hours to live yours."_

_Sakura nodded her head firmly, her emotions getting the better of her. "I….understand now."_

_She stood up and walked with a determined stride towards the sliding door. The blonde woman nodded her head as well. "You leave tomorrow night, so be prepared."_

_Sakura bowed before sliding the thin door open. "Goodbye Tsunade-sama."_

_The door made a creaking sound, as it closed._

_The Godaime put her head in her hands. She choked down a suppressed sob, her sake swirling in it's glass. Sometimes her job just wasn't worth it._

_She had no way of knowing the next time she would see her beloved apprentice, it would be on a covered stretcher._

_

* * *

_The arrow soared with a speed that seemed unnatural to the beast. It struck the beast in the shoulder, as he howled in pain. The pink haired girl took that moment to run, dragging her arm as it laid limply at her side. 

She could hear his fleeting footsteps, they roared like thunder in her ears. Sakura picked up her pace, before skidding to an abrupt halt. _She had no where to run. _Fear had overridden any logic in her brain, so she ran as fast as her bruised feet could take her. She had walked right into a trap.

Sakura stood on the edge of a large peak, which overlooked the vast border of Rock Country. Below her, thousands of sharp rocks and boulders overwhelmed the land. Her breath caught in her throat as she heard the footsteps stop behind her. _What now? _Was the only thought that rang through her head.

"You have no where to go."

She twirled around on her heel, her katana unsheathed and glimmering in the purple twilight. The male in front of her eyed the weapon wearily. "Such a big weapon for such a small woman."

He took a step forward.

She took a step back.

Beads of sweat began to form on her temple, as he took another step forward, while she took another step back. She didn't know how long she could keep moving backwards, until she fell to her death. It was like a dangerous dance, make one wrong move and it was over.

If the pressure didn't kill her, Sakura decided, this _monster _surely would. The kunoichi swung her katana back with her implausible force, and watched as it struck her opponent in his uninjured shoulder.

She didn't look back when she jumped over the cliff onto the next sizeable crag. The pink haired girl landed on the cliff, and rolled on the rocky surface to break her fall. Sakura crawled over onto the edge and breathed a sigh of relief.

And then she screamed.

Below, bodies of innocent people lay in a bath of blood. Hundreds upon hundreds of missing nin were aligned in a straight row, blocking the exits. Their fangs gleamed in the evening light, as they roared with victory. She made out the figures of two of her teammates, Kakashi and Naruto fighting off the creatures. Her last and most beloved teammate was nowhere to be found, Sasuke.

Her cherry locks whipped around her face in the evening breeze, as light rays of purple twilight turned to a deep burgundy. She picked herself up from the hard land, as the fierce breeze intensified. Her breath caught in her throat as the mêlée waged on.

"Oh _no_."

* * *

_Many items were tucked safely away in a black traveling bag, when the sun started to set. Weapons of all sorts poked out slightly on many ends of the bag. Haruno Sakura bounded down the steps, before skidding to a halt in front of the door. She strapped on a few scrolls to her right thigh, before tying a white bandage around her left thigh._

"_Oka-san, I'm leaving!" She called towards the kitchen, where she knew her mother would be._

_Minutes later her mother walked into the hallway, carrying a tea cup. She looked elegant with her pink hair twisted up into simple loop and her white aromatic apron on. She kissed her daughter's forehead before smiling._

"_Your father said he wishes you the best of luck and sorry he couldn't see you off, that job of his is going to be the death of him one of these days." The older woman pushed a few short pink locks out of her daughter's face thoughtfully. "Be safe, okay dear?"_

"_Of course."_

_Sakura hugged her lightly before walking out the door, to catch up to her waiting teammates.__As the pink haired female made her way down the paved road, her mother smiled again._

_There was a loud crashing sound as pieces of broken glass littered the floor. Sakura's mother winced as the hot liquid that had been inside the cup burned her. She frowned as a huge stain was put into her white tiles and rug. But as she glanced at the broken shards of her tea cup and then at her daughter's now fading back, an uncontrollable panic began to rise in her throat. She dashed out the open front door and onto the paved road. "Sakura!" She screamed._

_She did not turn around._

_Omen._

* * *

Sakura snapped to life when she was pushed roughly from the cliff. A body caught her mid fall, as her eyes widened with recognition. "Wha-_what _are you doing!?"

"Saving you." His answer was simple.

The Uchiha landed gracefully on the upturned ground, before setting the girl in his arms down. "I have to go fight, you stay here."

Sakura's eyes flashed. "No!" She grabbed onto his shirt desperately. _I won't let you leave me again. _The dark haired male pried her fingers off smoothly.

"Take this." He handed her a katana, to make up for her lost one. "If you have to defend yourself, use it." He kissed her briefly, while Sakura buried her head in his shoulder. What could she say?

Not much. She knew that no words could ever change his mind, that she knew from experience.

"I love you." She whispered.

He didn't say anything, but clutched her shoulders slightly before walking off. Sasuke turned around when he was sure she wouldn't follow, and looked her directly in the eye. "Don't be stupid and fight, leave it to us." His eyes were red and spinning when he disappeared.

_I can't promise you that._

It was amazing. She had just had her first kiss in the middle of a catastrophe, and now he had just left her, _again. _Except this time they had parted on different, more intimate terms, but still. It stung somewhere in her body. This was actually the first time he had ever shown any romantic inclination towards her, and they had been engaged for months.

"_I'm so sorry." _Only the wind heard her whisper. She unsheathed the katana, before running in the direction that she knew would hold enemies.

* * *

_She shifted in her distorted position on the ground, trying in vain to get up. She propped herself up against a boulder and sighed in relief as the pain in her arm ceased. Her peace was short lived when the rock that was serving as her shelter exploded._

_The pink haired girl groaned when the beast from before lifted her in the air once again, his anger had tripled. "Your more trouble than your worth little Kunoichi, I'll like watching you die." He unsheathed his katana and thrust it towards her side._

"_Then your coming with me." Her gloved hand smashed into his chest leaving him airless._

_His katana ripped through her body, as he dropped to the ground dead. Sakura slumped to the ground, watching half-heartedly as blood seeped down her side. She looked around and saw innocent civilians laying lifeless and many taking their few last breaths. She pulled the katana out her side and had to bite her lip because of the pain. There were about fifty more Rock nin still alive and Sasuke, Naruto, and Kakashi still fighting. _

_And I'm not going to last much longer._

_They had no clue where the supposed leader of the missing nin was as he disappeared when they first engaged in battle. Sakura squinted as she saw something in the distance. A tremble in the cracked ground made something in her heart sink. An earthquake. Not so far from them stood the leader. Koizumi was what Tsunade had called him. He didn't look like a regular missing nin. He was clothed in a Samurai garb, his chakra radiated his strong power._

_Sakura glanced around wildly to see if her teammates were catching on. The faint sound of birds chirping filled her ears along with a whizzing sound. The rasengan and chidori took out the rest of the shinobi and the males of team seven didn't have much chakra left. It was up to her and only her._

_She was dying._

_She took what energy she had stored and pushed herself up into a standing position. With a sharp intake of breath she popped her dislocated arm back into place and took her feeble fighting stance. Her chakra flowed into both arms, before she rushed to meet the oncoming earth attack._

_The result was devastating. The ground split into two as the two chakras pulsed together creating a flying whirlwind of terrain. It was over even before it started._

_Goodbye._

* * *

She never thought that the last thing she would see would be the moon. 

It glowed beautifully as its silver light bathed her body and somewhere in the far distance, her now dead opponent. She laughed dejectedly when she remembered that this was her last night to live. She had almost forgotten.

She was barely aware of anything at this point. A boulder had crushed the lower half of body. She had pushed it off with great effort, and much wasted breath. She didn't want them to see her shattered body with a boulder on top of it, when they found her. Oh how she wished she could tell Naruto to be strong when she died.

She knew she was giving Kakashi one more reason to visit the memorial stone, like he did every day.

And Sasuke. She hoped he would find a nice wife to fill in for her. Not a soul knew that he had given her something that she would cherish for the rest of her life. _What life?_ Maybe she should have listened to Sasuke and stayed put. But then they would all be dead.

_Five breaths. _

After a few failed attempts, she finally managed to clutch the item in her fist.

_Four breaths left._

She smiled a little when she remembered the way he had put it in her hand. "I…..."

_Three more to go._

The pink haired medic kissed her fingertips and then touched the item within her grasp.At least she could pass on easily, knowing that it was sealed with a kiss. "…..am."

_Two. Her time was almost up._

She coughed up blood, as she tried to hold on a little longer. She slipped the valued item on her finger and gave her last smile. "…..sorry."

_One last time._

She inhaled deeply. And exhaled softly.

The shimmering ring on her finger glittered with tears in the pale light.

* * *

_Sasuke stood in front of the podium and took a deep breath._"_I'm not here to tell you how she died, but about how she lived."

* * *

_

_Bereavement._

They brought her body out in a glass case. Snowflakes fell softly on the glass, making her body look even more surreal. On her body, she wore a dark cobalt dress that was unpretentious yet beautiful on her. Her light crimson locks were spread out across the white silk of the fabric below her, as if she were sleep. A few short wisps fell into her face, hiding her eyes. And on the back of her dark dress, was a red and white fan, stiched into the material with particular judgment. _Only he would know._

_She was beautiful even in death._

Tsunade stood upon the platform, her cheeks flushed from the cold.

"Now that everyone has given there very touching farewells,"She eyed the Uchiha."Let the interment commence."

Four columns surrounded the glass box, holding the eighteen year old body of Haruno Sakura. On the columns four torches burned with vivid white fire. "These flames will burn everyday and every night. Those who will mourn Sakura's death may gaze upon her body whenever they wish, for this body will be perpetual. An anbu guard will watch her body, as to secure its safety."

_Forever._

The crowd stood up and one by one they walked by to pay their respects. The kunoichi and the women went first. Blossoms were set carefully upon her translucent case, as many tears soon followed. And then the men rose from their seats to look upon the colorless face of Sakura.

Lee's bandaged hands were fisted tightly at his sides as he dropped the only white blossom in the cluster upon her body. An unchecked tear slipped out his dark eyes as he took notice of the sparkling ring on her finger.

_So it was true._

The Uchiha had finally proposed to her, but he had been to late. When his beautiful flower had still been alive, a rumor that the prodigy had proposed to Sakura had been going around but, he refused to believe it.

But know the proof was there in plain sight before him, on the pale hand of his lost love no less, and he could deny it no longer. He was hurting even more inside at the fact that she…._accepted_.

_Farewell._

_

* * *

_Twinkling lights reflected off of expensive wine glasses, as women in fancy skirts twirled across the dance floor. They were holding a ball in honor of Sakura's, and many women took the time to show-off there beauty now that some of the competition was gone. 

Sasuke folded his arms in the sleeves of his yakuta as he watched a still freshly hurt Naruto twirl a timid Hyuuga in a slow dance. He resisted the urge to laugh when he stepped clumsily on a red cheeked Hinata's foot.

Somewhere in the crowd of flashy people, Kiba joked that Sakura's funeral had more guest than at the Sandaime's. No one laughed.

A girl about two years younger than the ex-avenger, walked by slowly in her glimmering kimono, before smiling shyly at him, and promptly blushing afterwards. She batted her dark eyes at him, before flicking a raven strand of hair out of her eyes. But Sasuke deliberately looked away in the opposite direction, currently unaffected by her rather obvious charm.

_She was nothing like her._

Sakura didn't have to bat her emerald eyes at him, to grab his attention. All it took was a smile. It was funny because this time it was her leaving and not him. And someday he would meet her again, he was sure of it.

_Either in this life or the next._

_

* * *

_A delicate hand traced intricate patterns on a glass surface, occasionally stopping to gaze upon the body within case. 

_She smiled a little._

Oh how she wished she could kiss him one last time. It was impossible she knew, but she could dream. Her body lay inside the glowing clear case of glass, with tiny crystals of ice and snow shimmering on its surface. Blossoms of all kind adorned its center, a single white one lacing the middle.

A hand on her shoulder made the pink haired beauty snap out her reverie. Her emerald eyes looked upon warm and friendly orbs. She smiled a little when she realized who it was.

"It's time to go."

The speaker's ruby hair blew in the winter breeze, the frost glistening on its red strands. Her peculiar red markings on her cheeks made her stand out, her beauty was filled with a rare simplicity. She gazed at body in the glass casket and sighed.

"It was your time, Sakura. I just hope _he_ doesn't take it like Kakashi-kun."

Sakura nodded her head at the ginger haired medic. Another hand touched the pink haired girl's shoulder. She looked up at the male and her faint smile widened. He reminded her so much of Naruto.

His goggles that he wore made him seem eccentric, but in a good way. His raven hair spiked at strange angles while the grin he wore, lit up his handsome features. "Yeah I swear that runt is just like Kakashi."

His expression turned solemn when he turned to the younger girl. "Don't be sad, he'll never forget you, trust me." The grin he flashed her, made her feel everything was going to be alright. _It was time for her to go. _She faintly thought back to what the Godaime had asked her.

"Yeah, I was…._no_, am happy."

* * *

_**Fin**_

A/N: Okay this turned out a little different then what I thought it would be, but at least it's up. And I _just_ couldn't write Sasuke's speech…..it would be too painful. And if you couldn't figure it out, those to people by Sakura were Obito and Rin. I thought To Forfeit stood pretty well on its own but lots of people requested a sequel so that's it folks.

C.C.K


End file.
